TO FEEL MORE CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY, YOU COULD
TRY TAKING PICTURES OF THE PEOPLE AND PLACES AROUND YOU
RECORDING LIVES
L
ucy Saggers’ captivating photographs of
her North Yorkshire village have taken
her from amateur to award-winning
photographer and, in the process, helped her
create a closer, more rewarding relationship
with her neighbourhood. From a young age
Lucy was enthralled by the documentary photographs of
James Ravilious, who recorded daily life around his home
in rural North Devon during the 1970s and 80s. However,
it wasn’t until she moved to North Yorkshire with her
husband and three children five years ago that she bought
her first digital SLR and enrolled on a photography course.
“To begin with, I photographed the landscape,” she
explains. “But as I progressed, I began photographing the
everyday lives of people around me and, once I started,
I could no longer resist. I think this is because I find
reassurance in the rhythms of our daily lives. Although it
might feel strange taking pictures of life’s daily routines
and familiar faces, it’s often these everyday moments that
hold the deepest significance – whether it’s the local
milkman on his round or a sociable coffee morning.
It can be tempting to think that the most interesting
pictures are those of far-off, exotic places or unusual
events, but there’s beauty and meaning in the quotidian.
Lucy agrees, “I would plan to set out to photograph some
other place, but feel physically pulled back to the village,
its people and its landscape. I suppose this draw is because
the more I look around me, the more I see. Five years on,
I am still captivated by the layers of stories that unfold.”
From washing hair to lambing, the local butcher’s weekly
delivery to the coffin maker’s workshop, Lucy has founda rich seam of life stories and working days for her black
and white images.
How do you start snapping if you’ve never photographed
your community before? “My approach is usually a walk
with my camera. I may take a photograph before my
presence is known but, if possible, I will always check that
people are happy. I work slowly and steadily because it’s key
to develop a sense of trust.”
There are some basic rules about what you can and can’t
photograph when you’re out and about in public: in general,
it’s fine to take pictures of people, houses and anything else
in a public place or building open to the public, unless it is
expressly prohibited. What you can’t do is take photographs
on private land/property without the permission of the
owner, or capture an image of someone engaged in a private
act or with the purpose of defaming your subject. Contrary
to popular belief, there are no separate laws about
photographing children in public places, although schools
and sports venues may have their own rules.
Above all, says Lucy, the secret to getting great photos of
your community is to “keep putting yourself in likely
positions and be open to grabbing these f leeting moments
when they appear.” And make your subjects feel at ease. “I
hope, above all, that nobody feels uncomfortable – or that
they can tell me if they do. People are getting used to seeing
me wandering around with my camera. I think they know
now that I may or may not photograph them, and that the
last thing I want them to do is stop what they are doing or
pose,” Lucy laughs. “I was delighted when a farmer told
someone: ‘She just wants you to do what you do’.”
You can find Lucy’s work online at lucysaggers.com.THINK (^) | IDEAS
Words: SALLY COULTHARD